CLASSIC AWA 4/24 TV REPORT
- 04/24/2008 (7:30:31 pm)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
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April 24th airs a 1988 episode of Verne Gagne’s All Star Wrestling from the Mid South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennesse.
This episode was a build up to Super Clash III. At AWA studio, Larry Nelson and Lee Marshall discussed that the TV title was held up due to Ron Garvin’s questionable victory over champion Greg Gagne. They explained that AWA president Stanley Blackburn had viewed the footage, and sanctioned a no disqualification match where Gagne just needed to survive in order to retain the title. Nelson and Marshall also announced that they would be providing predictions for Super Clash III.
Tommy "Wildfire" Rich versus "Handsome" Jimmy Valiant
Valiant danced around the ring, kissing fans to his "Boy From New York City" theme song by The Manhattan Transfer. Valiant barely got through the ropes, when he was taken down with elbows and stomps. Rich clotheslined, choked and landed shots to the throat. Rich pushed the referee away, and then punched him down. Valiant fired back at Rich with punches, then took down a second referee with a punch. Many wrestlers came out to stop the brawl. The most notable was Cactus Jack (Mick Foley), Billy Joe Travis and a long haired Scott Steiner.
Valiant and Rich were not restrained for long as they took the fight from the ring to the floor. After an exchange of punches, Valiant opened up Rich with a shove to the steel ring post. The battle returned to the ring, as the wrestlers restrained Valiant from using the chair, which left an opening for Rich to land fists. In a battle stance, Rich called out Valiant to return to the ring. Then Valiant ran in and chased Rich out. The announcer said that in 2 minutes and 24 seconds, the official ruling for this match was a no contest.
At the AWA studio, Jerry "The King" Lawler held his AWA world title while Larry Nelson asked him about the pressure going into the SuperClash III main event, against World Class champion Kerry Von Erich. Lawler said that he "wished he was a fly on the wall" at Kerry’s house, because a close source had told him that Kerry wakes up sweating in the middle of the night. Lawler said that the Von Erichs have gone through an incredible long streak of bad luck, and that Kerry’s loss will be another let down to his family.
Nelson and Marshall came back to predict that the Guerreros would win against Cactus Jack and the Rock n Roll RPM’s. They differed in Nelson picked Southern champion Jeff Jarrett and Marshall picked former World Class champion Eric Embry. Both felt that Col. DeBeers would beat Sgt. Slaughter at the boot camp match. Marshall picked The Terrorist to win the 10 lady lingerie battle royal. Nelson didn’t care who won, he just wanted the ladies to get eliminated by the stripping rule, instead of going over the top rope.
Wendi Richter & Magnificent Mimi versus AWA ladies champion Madusa Miceli & Sylvia
This match was joined in progress with two minutes remaining in the bout. Richter had kicked Madusa down as Mimi pulled her hair in the corner. Richter landed kicks to Madusa after hanging her upside down in the corner. Richter then hammered back an incoming Sylvia, as Madusa knocked Mimi down on the ring apron. Madusa executed a back suplex with a pinning bridge. Richter got her arm up at the 2 count, but the referee was out of position to see Madusa’s shoulder up, and counted the 3 on her.
The referee did not signal the bell, and the ladies continued wrestling. After being belly to back suplexed, Richter rolled that move into a pinning attempt on Madusa. The referee finally sounded the bell, and Madusa got up to shove the referee into the corner. Announcer Michael St. John announced that Richter and Mimi won at the 7:39 mark. Sylvia raised Madusa’s arm and Madusa gave the kiss my butt gesture before her team exited.
Top Guns (Jon Paul & Ricky Rice) versus Beast & Hangman
Def Leppard’s "Pour Some Sugar on Me" played as Paul and Rice jogged to the ring. After winning an off ropes collision, Paul hip tossed and arm dragged down Beast. As Paul extended Beast’s left arm, a tagged Rice hit it with a flying middle rope ax handle. Beast hammers Rice in the corner, but when whipped to the opposite croner, Rice jumped and twisted for a middle rope flying press on the charging Beast.
Rice and Paul would tag off while working on Beast’s left arm. An eye rake bought Beast time for a tag, and a charging Hangman was taken down by a Paul arm drag. Hangman pushed off the arm bar, to be charged down, then dropped by a flying short clothesline. After having both Top Guns worked over his left arm, Hangman eye raked Rice to tag Beast. Rice kicked an incoming Beast, then took him down with a dropkick off the ropes. Rice tagged Paul on the middle rope, who launched on the down Beast for the pin win at 2:25. Rice went after Hangman with a punch after the bell.
Next up was a Pro Wrestling Illustrated press conference segment conducted by senior editor Bill Apter. His guests were Chavo Sr., Mondo, and Hector Guerrero. Apter asked why none of the Guerrero combinations have been able to capture the AWA tag titles from Pat Tanaka and Paul Diamond (Badd Company, later WWF’s Orient Express).
Hector said that Tanaka and Diamond keeping running from them, but that if they stayed in the ring, that the Guerreros can beat them anytime. Apter told Mondo that some people doubt the Guerreros’ ability as singles wrestler because they tag so often. Mondo said that was without logic, as all his brother have been trained for singles by their father (Gory Guerrero), and that tag matches are chosen out of enjoyment of the family.
Mondo mentioned that there would be a fourth Guerrero coming up, referring to Eddie Guerrero. Apter mentioned that Chavo Sr. was a million dollar rookie, when asked how long it would take to win the tag belts, Chavo said that it can happen when the champs stay in the ring and there is no interference by their manager Diamond Dallas Page. Chavo said that the Guerreros have all been junior champions, and that his son Chavo Jr. is coming soon to join the family in wrestling.
Nelson and Marshall introduced a match where 24,000 witnessed on September 28th 1985 at Comisky Field in Chicago Illinois for this SuperClash I encounter.
Boris Zhukov versus Sgt. Slaughter
This match was joined in progress. Zhukov stomped a downed Slaughter on the grassy field. Zhukov went on the burn, choke and body slam Sarge on the top rope. After a chinlock and swinging neck breaker, Zhukov knocked Sarge over one of the commentator’s tables. In a pile driver attempt on the outside, Sarge flipped over Zhukov with a back body drop. Sarge then gorilla pressed slammed Zhukov, as the big Siberian tried to leap off the top rope.
Zhukov would be taken down by a back elbow, a dropkick, then a back body drop. Referee Larry Lasowski was knocked to the ring apron, when Zhukov shoved him into Sarge’s Slaughter Cannon clothesline. Sarge tried to help the ref, and knocked back an attacking Zhukov to the corner. After being whipped to the other corner, Zhukov downed Sarge with an elbow. Nelson said that he saw Zhukov load his elbow pad, and then Zhukov took out the object to place in his singlet. Zhukov then pounded and bit on the head of the now bloody Slaughter.
Zhukov pushed down Lasowski and continued to hammer at Sarge in the corner. Sarge would not drop, and Zhukov ran from the ring when he saw Sarge get fired up by the cheering crowd. In pursuit, Sarge threw Zhukov back in the ring, but Zhukov would immediately exit out of the ring to the locker rooms. Five mintes had aired of this match that
saw Sarge retain his America’s champion title with a disqualification win.
Nelson brought in Sheik Adnan El Kassey, who had returned to the AWA after a long absence. Adnan explained that he had formed an alliance with Iraq and Iran. Nelson was incredulous, as he believed Sheik Adnan only knew how to create wars, not negotiate peace.
The Iron Sheik then entered and exchanged cheek kisses with Adnan, whom Iron Sheik referred to as his Iraqi brother. Iron Sheik said that he was there for one reason and that was to take the AWA world title from Jerry Lawler. Nelson commented about Iron Sheik and Sheik El Kassey being an "unholy alliance", as Iron Sheik twisted his mustache and gave a double arm muscle pose.
After the commercial, former Freebird, Buddy "Jack" Roberts was yelling out to Steve Cox and Freebird Michael "P.S" Hayes. Roberts said that this is what they had to face, as the war painted Samu and Fatu entered (Samoan Swat Team, aka WWF’s Headshrinkers). Roberts added that the S.S.T.’s will undoubtedly become the next champions. Marshall predicted Hayes and Cox to win, but Nelson predicted the S.S.T.’s to be the victors.
As clips of Ron Garvin matches and Greg Gagne matches aired, Marshall couldn’t decide on this match, but Nelson went for Gagne. There was a video showing Garvin punching down Scott Steiner, and Greg Gagne slapping a sleeperhold on Mike Enos (Blake of WWF’s Beverly Brothers).
Then Marshall said that Wahoo McDaniel has never lost an Indian strap match, and he felt he wasn’t going to at Super Clash III. Both he and Nelson agreed that there would truly be no winners in this type of match and hatred. A video clipped aired of Fernandez knocking down Wahoo, and tearing up his headdress outside of the ring.
In the Rock ‘n Roll Express match against the Stud Stable (Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden), Marshall felt that the R ‘n R would win and go on their way to a 5th world tag title reign. Nelson felt that the distraction of the Stables’ managers in Downtown Bruno (Harvey Whippleman) and Sylvia would be enough of a distraction to earn The Stable a win. Nelson added that he wouldn’t be surprised that the distraction didn't work, since the RnR Express are used to having beautiful women around them.
A Stud Stable match was shown, where Jimmy Golden (WCW’s Bunkhouse Buck) and Robert Fuller (WCW’s Col. Parker) stomps, shin strikes and a step over toe hold on the left leg of a wrestler named named Justin. After Golden yanked Justin’s leg against the apron, Slyvia smashed the kendo stick on it, as Fuller distracted the referee. A tagged Golden then made Justin submit in a half Boston crab. World Class wrestling’s Frank Dusek had mentioned that Justin’s partner didn’t get a chance to tag in, but I couldn’t make out the name. This match was just under two minutes.
Nelson interviewed Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson of the Rock ‘n Roll Express. Gibson said that their match against The Stud Stable is important, as winning it would get them a shot at Badd Company’s AWA tag titles. Morton said that the Rock ‘n Roll Express would treat the Stud Stable as stepping stones, proving that they are the number 1 tag team in the world. Morton said "We are the best today, it’s like solid gold rock ‘n roll and we’re here to stay, baby!" Morton told Chicago "You’re gonna see two big old mountains go falling down!"
In commenting on his SuperClash III match against Brickhouse Brown, Iceman King Parsons said that he understood if Brown didn’t show up. Parsons said that Brown’s heart "isn’t as big as a mustard seed", adding that Brown "couldn’t bust grape if he landed on it head first, you rudy poot..have mercy"
Rock ‘n Roll RPMs (Mike Davis & Tommy Lane) versus AWA tag team champions Badd Company (Sensai Pat Tanaka & Paul Diamond) accompanied by manager Diamond Dallas Page
Page brought two attractive young Diamond Dolls to the ring in sunglasses and Zebra striped robes. Page pushed aside announcer St. John and proclaimed "good is good..but Badd is better" Then as Page cracked the whip, Badd Company’s theme song hit and the ladies dropped their robes to reveal their skimpy swimsuits.
RPM’s attacked before the bell, with Lane tossing Diamond from the ring, then assisting Davis in a back drop on Tanaka. Lane then twirled Tanaka in mid air with a clothesline, then Davis assisted in a double gorilla press drop. Tanaka took a high back body drop by Davis, then a tagged Lane leaped up for a flying leg drop. After Diamond kicked off a pin attempt, Tanaka wiped out on twisting middle rope body press, when Lane ducked out of the way.
After a vertical suplex, Lane rushed to charge off the ropes and received a knee to the back by Diamond. Tanka made the tag, and Diamond fired away with fists, to continuously slam Lane’s head to the top turnbuckle, before firing more punches while on the middle rope in the corner. After planting Lane with a forward drive suplex, Diamond struck Davis on the apron. Davis tried to enter the ring but was stopped by the referee. The distraction was long enough for Diamond to toss Lane over the top rope, which would have been a disqualification if witnessed by the referee.
Tanaka landed shots on Lane on the outside, then Davis threaten Page back away from Lane. Back in the ring, a Diamond body slam would go to a flying double forearm strike by Tanaka on Lane. On apron, Davis backed away from a lunging Diamond, and got suckered into tying up the ref again, by trying to enter illegally. Diamond draped Lane’s arms and throat over the top rope. Tanaka then charged off the ropes and leaped frogged over Diamond, for a splash in their double team finisher. Lane was able to kick out, because the count was delayed as the ref was still holding off Davis.
Lane was then back body dropped by Diamond and Tanaka, to head smashes to the turnbuckle by Diamond. When Diamond shot Lane to the opposite corner, Lane moved away from a charging Diamond, whose feet missed placement on the middle rope. Diamond fell back after being crotched on the middle rope. A tagged Davis whipped Diamond to lift him up for a Lane powerbomb that Davis assisted on.
Tanaka clubbed off Lane’s pin attempt, and was knocked away by Davis. Lane Irish whipped Diamond into a Davis abdominal stretch, but Tanaka knocked out Davis with a back kick, earning Diamond the 3 count. Lane attacked Badd Company after the bell, and the RPM’s tried to whip Badd Company into each other. Badd Company locked arms to turn each other around, but their return charge found them double clothelined down.
Badd Company exited the ring, walking back to the locker room with Page and the Diamond Dolls. Michael St. John returned to the ring to announce Badd Company winning the match and retaining their AWA championships at the 5:55 mark.
Back at AWA studio, Nelson interviewed World Class champion Kerry Von Erich for his main event wolrd title unification match against AWA champ Jerry Lawler at SuperClash III. Kerry said that he has trained himself to be in the best shape of his life, and that his parents were coming up from Tyler Texas to see the match. Nelson mentioned that World Class, AWA, CWA and CWF will recognize the winner as The World Champion in wrestling. Kerry said the world is watching this match, and that he is more ready than he has ever been for a match. Kerry warned "Lawler lookout. I'm coming for your title"
Catch the legends of AWA Monday to Friday at 1am est on ESPN Classic
David
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